Mbunas

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girl920

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Oct 3, 2006
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I'm cycling a 55-gal tank currently. I really want to use it for malawi cichlids, probably mbuna from what I've read. I've never kept cichlids before (except for angelfish, and a jack dempsey ages and ages ago).

I have lots of lacerock in there with holes and caves, as well as CaribSea arogite. Someone on fish forum (along with advice I know to be wrong) said this is the wrong substrate for african cichlids, yet the bag says "for african cichlids," and the LFS recommended it. She also said to only keep 1 or 2 in a 55-gal, and to feed them feeder guppies and goldfish. I'm thinking all of this is probably wrong also?? Nothing I've read elsewhere backs up her advice. And yet she claims to be an "aquatics specialist" LOL That's where you gotta love the 'net I suppose.

Anyway, my biggest question here really is: which mbuna species are best to put together in a 55-gal and how many?? I will probably get juvies, so I won't know m vs. f at first probably. I can't seem to find any info/charts on which species to put with which, altho' I keep reading certain types aren't good together unless in a very large tank. Help!

Will be buying some as soon as the tank is done cycling, assuming I know what to get. Thanks!!!
 
AWESOME! Thanks for this link! I knew I had seen this page somewhere in my past internet travels, but couldn't seem to locate it again!! Thanks, I bookmarked it this time. ;-)
 
What are the fish called "cobalt blue" that I see in my LFS? Anyone know what their scientific name is? And what is "pseudotropheus saulosi " commonly known as in the lfs? It's hard sometimes to match up the common and the scientific, esp. when trying to research and then find the same fishes at the store LOL.

Based on the link above, my various reading, and what's commonly available at my favorite lfs, I'm thinking about:
4 yellow labs
4 red zebras
4 rusty cichlids

Altho', I'd really love to have some blue fish in my tank. Any ideas?

Any thoughts about this? Too many fish? Not enough? Wrong types? Any and all input is appreciated as these types of fish are new for me and I wanna do it right the first time! I'm really excited; looking fwd to my tank completing its cycle!
 
The "cobalt blues" you see at the LFS are cobalt blue zebras (metriaclima callainos).

Pseudotropheus saulosi are normally known as 'saulosi'.

In addition to knowning the common names and scientific names, it's also important to know what the mbuna are supposed to look like since on more than one occasion a tank may be mislabled or the employee may not be entirely familiar with the stock, especially if the tank happens to contain multiple species.

Some easy to find blue fish are the aformentioned cobalt blue zebras and pseudotropheus socolofi, there are several other species though. If you get a group of them (like four) the chances they'll interbreed with your red zebras will be minimized (I keep one cobalt with 5 red zebras among other mbuna and the two zebra species have yet to interact).

10-15 (plus or minus a couple) should work in a 55-gal, and they're all compatible with each other.

In regards to the pseudotropheus demasoni, they're also compatible with the fish on your list. A word of caution, they're highly conspecific aggressive (they don't tolerate their own kind or similiar looking species too well). These are one of the smaller mbuna species and they're usually sold as "demasoni" in the LFS. A SINGLE one would work in your tank (if you want to get multiple demasoni, you'll have to get a good dozen or more because when kept in smaller groups whole scale demasoni-on-demasoni violence (and eliminations) tends to occur.
 
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Now that we have ID'd all my fish and I have read up on all of my African's, I am mad at myself for not having done so at the beginning. When I bought them at the LFS, I thought 'Oh, they are all in the same tank so they will get along'. What a dumbass assumption. I started with a 30 gal and now have migrated to a 100 and 55 gal tank which at times I have had to insert as many dividers as needed to seperate all fish because the fighting was too intense.

At times my tanks looked like the local jail with its jail cells. Sucks!

Just thought I'd share this experience so's others can learn from my mistake... do your fish research BEFORE buying your new charges.

The Orange Zebras I have don't get along with ANYONE. They fight like mad so I have to keep them all separated. The Powder Blue is territorial as hell and so is the Auratus, and so would ALL of them be if the smaller ones had their way. The only way I can keep some of them without dividers in between is to keep 5 together so the bullie's attention is never focused on one other fish for too long. If I could do it again I would likely get one male and a 'harem' of females for him. Seems like that is one safe way way to go with Africans. But good luck trying to sex the juveniles. That's a gamble.

Overall Africans are attractive and very intelligent fish and worth keeping and trying to breed. They are fun to watch as they manipulate the tank gravel and move stuff around to their liking, but you gotta pick carefully.
 
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Thanks for all the advice! You guys are a great help.

I think I will try for 4 saulosi, 4 rustys, 4 yellow labs, and 4 cobalts. I love the coloring of the demasoni, but from what I'm reading, I think I'll wait on that species until I gain some experience with africans. Since this is my first tank, I think I should start with some "beginner" species. :-)

20 fish is too much for a 55-gal right?
 
Tigris,

I think your tanks may be understocked (which has a way of magnifying aggression). Which fish are in the 55g and which ones are in the 100g?

You would probably see a reduction in aggression if you move all of them to the 100g and doubled (or tripled) your quantity.

Girl920, 20 mbuna in a 55gal would be overstocked a little more than necessary.
 
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